Customizing Purchase Order Line Item Columns
User Guide: Customizing Purchase Order Line Item Columns
This guide explains how to choose which columns appear on your purchase order detail page, reorder them, and create custom columns.
1. Overview
Every purchase order has a line items table showing your ordered products. By default, it shows the basics: image, product, variant, SKU, quantity, unit price, and total. But you can customize this table to show up to 49+ additional columns — from financial data like tax and landed cost, to product attributes like weight and HS code, to your own custom columns and Shopify metafields.
Where to Find This Setting
Go to Adjust Settings > Purchase Orders, then select the Line Item Columns tab.
2. Column Types
Required Columns (Always Visible)
These 7 columns are always shown and cannot be disabled. You can reorder them.
Column | Description |
|---|---|
Image | Product variant image |
Product Name | The product title |
Variant | Variant title (e.g., "Large / Blue") |
SKU | Product SKU |
Quantity | Ordered quantity |
Unit Price | Price per unit |
Total | Quantity x Unit Price |
Optional Columns (Toggle On/Off)
These fall into several categories:
PO Line Item Columns
Data calculated and stored on the purchase order itself.
Column | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
Note | Per-item notes | Off |
Received Quantity | How many units received so far | On |
Returned Quantity | How many units returned | On |
Units Left | Ordered minus received | On |
Tax Type | Applied tax type name (e.g., "GST") | Off |
Tax Rate (%) | Tax percentage | Off |
Tax Amount | Calculated tax for the item | Off |
Landed Cost | True cost including allocated shipping/adjustments | Off |
Shipping / Unit | Allocated shipping per unit (per-unit method only) | Off |
Adjustment / Unit | Allocated adjustment per unit (per-unit method only) | Off |
Margin | Simple margin (selling price vs. unit cost) | Off |
Margin % | Margin as a percentage | Off |
Landed Margin | Margin based on landed cost | Off |
Landed Margin % | Landed margin as a percentage | Off |
Basic Information
Product details synced from Shopify.
Column | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
Variant ID | Shopify variant ID | Off |
Product ID | Shopify product ID | Off |
Item Description | Extended product description | Off |
Product Barcode | Barcode value | Off |
Vendor Name | Product vendor | Off |
Product Type | Shopify product type | Off |
Product Status | Active, draft, archived | Off |
Pricing
Column | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
Unit Cost | Shopify "Cost per item" | Off |
Selling Price | Shopify selling price | Off |
Retail Value | Compare-at price | Off |
Actual Inventory Cost | Current inventory cost | Off |
Quantities
Column | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
Actual Inventory Quantity | Current stock level | Off |
Committed Quantity | Reserved for orders | Off |
Incoming Quantity | On the way from other POs | Off |
Available Quantity | Stock minus committed | Off |
Product Attributes
Column | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
Total Weight | Product weight | Off |
Weight Unit | kg, lb, oz, g | Off |
HS Code | Harmonized System code for customs | Off |
Country of Origin | Manufacturing origin | Off |
Inventory Tracking | Whether tracking is enabled | Off |
Continue Selling Out of Stock | Overselling setting | Off |
Metadata
Column | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
Product Tags | Shopify tags | Off |
Product Collections | Collections the product belongs to | Off |
Product Published Date | When the product was published | Off |
3. Toggling Columns On and Off
- Go to Adjust Settings > Purchase Orders > Line Item Columns.
- You'll see a list of all available columns.
- Use the toggle switch next to each column to enable or disable it.
- Required columns show a lock icon and cannot be disabled.
- Click Save when you're done.
Changes apply to all purchase order detail pages immediately.
4. Reordering Columns
All columns (including required ones) can be reordered using drag and drop:
- Hover over a column row — a drag handle appears on the left.
- Click and drag the column to its new position.
- Release to drop it in place.
- Click Save to persist the new order.
The column order in settings matches the left-to-right order on the PO detail page and in exports.
5. Custom Columns
You can create up to 10 custom columns for data that isn't covered by the built-in options (e.g., "Warehouse Bin", "Quality Grade", "Internal Notes").
Creating a Custom Column
- In the Line Item Columns settings, click Add Custom Column.
- Enter a label (max 50 characters, must be unique).
- The column is created and enabled immediately.
- On the PO detail page, you can now enter values for this column on each line item.
Editing a Custom Column
- Click the pencil icon next to the column name to rename it.
- Use the toggle to enable/disable it.
- Use drag and drop to reorder it among other columns.
Deleting a Custom Column
- Click the delete icon next to the column.
- Confirm the deletion — this removes the column and all its saved values across all POs.
6. Metafield Columns
If your Shopify products have metafields (custom data fields defined in Shopify), they appear automatically as available columns.
How It Works
- Assisty discovers your product metafield definitions from Shopify.
- Each metafield appears in the column list with its Shopify display name.
- Toggle it on to show metafield values on PO line items.
Example Metafields
custom.material— "Material"custom.care_instructions— "Care Instructions"custom.country_of_manufacture— "Country of Manufacture"
Metafield values are read-only — they reflect the data in Shopify and cannot be edited from the PO page.
7. Columns in Exports
The columns you enable in settings also control what appears in your PO exports:
Format | Behavior |
|---|---|
Enabled columns appear in the items table. Disabled columns are excluded. | |
Excel (XLSX) | Same as PDF — only enabled columns appear. |
CSV | Same — only enabled columns included as CSV headers. |
Email attachment | Uses the same column configuration as PDF. |
This means your exported POs always match what you see on screen.
8. Tips and Best Practices
- Start minimal: Only enable the columns you actively use. Too many columns makes the table hard to read and exports cluttered.
- Financial columns are off by default: Tax, landed cost, margin, shipping/unit, and adjustment/unit are all hidden initially. Enable them only if you use these features.
- Received/Returned/Units Left are on by default: These three tracking columns are the most commonly needed for receiving workflows.
- Use custom columns for internal tracking: Things like bin locations, quality notes, or internal reference codes that aren't in Shopify work well as custom columns.
- Reorder for your workflow: Put the columns you check most often right after the required columns. For example, if you always check landed cost, drag it next to Unit Price.
- Column settings are per-merchant: All users in your store share the same column configuration.
For general PO management, see: Understanding and Managing Purchase Order Details.
For financial features (tax, shipping, landed cost, margins), see: Purchase Order Financial Features.
Updated on: 26/03/2026
Thank you!